Defenders of the Earth

Following a coup in 2009, Honduras has consistently been one of the most dangerous places in the world to be an environmental defender. According to Global Witness research, 109 people have been killed since 2012 – for standing up to the exploitation of the country’s natural resources and protecting their land. 

Guapinol is a semi-rural community in the lush, mineral-rich Bajo Agua region in northern Honduras. People there depend on the natural environment for their livelihoods – especially the Guapinol river, which is their sole source of drinking water. 

The State of Honduras, through its Institute of Geology and Mines, entered into contracts allowing an open pit mine in a national park. The mining operation polluted local water supplies and caused other environmental damage.

A peaceful protest camp set up to oppose the open pit mine was stormed by armed security guards employed by the mining company. The protesters arrested are in jail awaiting trial on charges linked to their opposition to the mine. 

The episode features Juan Antonio Lopez, a member of the Municipal Committee for the Defence of the Common and Public Assets of Tocoa, Juana Zúniga, also a member of the committee, Edy Tabora, a lawyer defending some of the protestors, Rachel Cox, campaigner at Global Witness, and Father Melo, a priest and human rights defender in Guapinol.

Defenders of the Earth captures the gripping and inspiring stories of activists around the world who are taking on powerful interests to protect our planet. Our presenter is Vanessa Nakate, climate justice activist from Uganda. Our episodes profile activists in Russia, Liberia, Honduras, and the Philippines. 

As climate activist and journalist Bill McKibben wrote in Last Line of Defence, a report from Global Witness released in September 2021, land and environmental defenders ”are at risk, in the end, not just because of another local person who pulls the trigger or plunges the blade; they’re at risk because they find themselves living on or near something that some corporation is demanding.”

In 2020, 227 activists were murdered for taking a stand to defend human rights, their land, and our environment. Over a third of the attacks were reportedly linked to resource exploitation — logging, mining, and large-scale agribusiness — and hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure. And that number is likely to be higher due to poor reporting. 

Defenders of the Earth is produced by Global Witness and Whistledown Productions. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

Derek Cabe is an activist in the Philippines who is continuing the work of her murdered friend and fellow campaigner Gloria Capitan. Gloria, a 57-year-old grandmother, was shot dead in the Lucanin village in the Bataan province of the Philippines. 

In the weeks running up to her death, Gloria Capitan had been repeatedly threatened and intimidated. But she refused to be silenced. Derek Cabe continues the environmental campaign, organizing communities against coal plants and speaking out against a government disinformation campaign targeting legitimate protestors and environmental human rights defenders.

The episode features Derek Cabe, Gretchen Malalad, a freelance journalist based in Manilla who works mostly with Agence France-Presse, Al Jazeera, and the BBC, and Leon Dulce, an organiser with the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment.

Defenders of the Earth captures the gripping and inspiring stories of activists around the world who are taking on powerful interests to protect our planet. Our presenter is Vanessa Nakate, climate justice activist from Uganda. Our episodes profile activists in Russia, Liberia, Honduras, and the Philippines. 

As climate activist and journalist Bill McKibben wrote in Last Line of Defence, a report from Global Witness released in September 2021, land and environmental defenders ”are at risk, in the end, not just because of another local person who pulls the trigger or plunges the blade; they’re at risk because they find themselves living on or near something that some corporation is demanding.”

In 2020, 227 activists were murdered for taking a stand to defend human rights, their land, and our environment. Over a third of the attacks were reportedly linked to resource exploitation — logging, mining, and large-scale agribusiness — and hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure. And that number is likely to be higher due to poor reporting. 

Defenders of the Earth is produced by Global Witness and Whistledown Productions. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

A 2006 recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, Silas Siakor has dedicated his life to fighting for the disempowered in Liberia, a country where corruption and land grabs have led to a massive gap between the haves and have-nots.

Liberia is known for its lush rolling forests covering around 45% of the country. But between 1990 and 2010, Liberia lost over 12% of its forest cover. This has left the country even more vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events, while at the same time homes and livelihoods are being destroyed by extensive logging and palm oil production. Although there are laws meant to curtail these practices, Liberia’s forests continue to be ‘hijacked’ by big business. 

Silas Siakor has dedicated his life to trying to protect this environment. He, along with other activists, have taken great personal risks to collect evidence of falsified logging records, illegal logging practices, and evidence of associated human rights abuses.

The episode features Silas Siakor, human rights lawyer Jonathan Kaufman, and Alfred Brownell, a Liberian environmental activist and lawyer and the founder of Green Advocates International. 

Defenders of the Earth captures the gripping and inspiring stories of activists around the world who are taking on powerful interests to protect our planet. Our presenter is Vanessa Nakate, climate justice activist from Uganda. Our episodes profile activists in Russia, Liberia, Honduras, and the Philippines. 

As climate activist and journalist Bill McKibben wrote in Last Line of Defence, a report from Global Witness released in September 2021, land and environmental defenders ”are at risk, in the end, not just because of another local person who pulls the trigger or plunges the blade; they’re at risk because they find themselves living on or near something that some corporation is demanding.”

In 2020, 227 activists were murdered for taking a stand to defend human rights, their land, and our environment. Over a third of the attacks were reportedly linked to resource exploitation — logging, mining, and large-scale agribusiness — and hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure. And that number is likely to be higher due to poor reporting. 

Defenders of the Earth is produced by Global Witness and Whistledown Productions. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

Defenders of the Earth captures the gripping and inspiring stories of activists around the world who are taking on powerful interests to protect our planet. Our presenter is Vanessa Nakate, climate justice activist from Uganda. Our episodes profile activists in Russia, Liberia, Honduras, and the Philippines. In this episode, we meet 17-year-old Rita Naumenko, one of just a handful of Fridays for Future activists in Russia. 

As climate activist and journalist Bill McKibben wrote in Last Line of Defence, a report from Global Witness released in September 2021, land and environmental defenders ”are at risk, in the end, not just because of another local person who pulls the trigger or plunges the blade; they’re at risk because they find themselves living on or near something that some corporation is demanding.”

In 2020, 227 activists were murdered for taking a stand to defend human rights, their land, and our environment. Over a third of the attacks were reportedly linked to resource exploitation — logging, mining, and large-scale agribusiness — and hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure. And that number is likely to be higher due to poor reporting. 

Defenders of the Earth is produced by Global Witness and Whistledown Productions. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

More info at Global Witness.

From Liberia, to Honduras, to the Philippines, to Russia, land and environmental defenders put their lives on the line to protect the world’s forests from destruction, block water pollution, and halt mining on ancestral lands, and advocate for climate action. Each episode draws upon hours of interviews with defenders and high-profile activists and campaigners like Bill Browder, Gretchen Malalad and many more. 

Episode 1 — Defenders of the Earth: Russia

17-year-old Rita Naumenko is one of just a handful of Fridays for Future activists in Russia. Rita’s protests target her Government and the large corporations showing no interest in curbing harmful emissions, but restrictive laws and a repressive government present activists with nearly insurmountable challenges. 

Episode 2 — Defenders of the Earth: Liberia

A profile of Silas Siakor, the Liberian campaigner who exposed Charles Taylor’s regime’s toxic dependence on the timber trade. Siakor continues to campaign today against illegal logging. 

Episode 3 — Defenders of the Earth: The Philippines

We follow Derek Cabe, coordinator of the Coal-Free Bataan Movement, as she continues the work of Gloria Capitan, a murdered campaigner against coal plants in Bataan province. The movement opposes a coal storage facility and power plants which they believe polluted their town, sickened families, and covered the coastline in ash.

Episode 4 — Defenders of the Earth: Honduras

A community in Honduras faces criminal persecution as they take on the companies building an open pit mine in a national park. You’ll meet Juan Antonio López and Juana Zúniga, both activists in Tocoa, Honduras, who want to see their relatives and fellow campaigners released from jail.